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Bildt promises action after Russia adoption ban

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10 October 2013

07:28 CEST+02:00

Russia's decision to ban adoptions to Swedish parents over concerns about gay marriage was "not thought through" Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has said, adding he hopes to find a diplomatic solution for parents affected by the move.

"Here we have a number of decisions that have been made and I don't think they were thought through and the immediate effects weren't understood," Bildt told Sveriges Television (SVT).

The comments come a week after Russia stopped all adoptions to Swedish parents due to a court decision banning international adoptions to countries which afford homosexual couples equal marriage rights.

The ruling comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill banning "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors" on June 30th this year.

Last week, Russian politician Vitaly Milonov called homosexuals "perverts" in an interview with SVT, arguing that children would be better off staying in Russian orphanages.

"It is unacceptable. Homosexuals are 'perverts' and should absolutely not be allowed to adopt children," he said.

Bildt this week said he hopes Russian authorities will be understanding of the "special humanitarian reasons" that he believes apply to the Swedish families and the 13 Russian children who have already met one another but who now cannot be united due to the adoption ban.

"I hope there's a way to solve these cases, where people have clearly been caught in a jam," he told SVT.

"I'm not totally convinced that all of the effects that occurred were deliberate from Russia's side."

Officials at the Swedish foreign ministry are working on the situation, Bildt added, and Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson is "actively involved via diplomatic channels".

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